China's Flagship Newspaper Advocates Promotion of More Women into Leadership Roles

The People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Nov. 30 urged the promotion of more women into leadership roles by taking the opportunity of nationwide local elections.

The newspaper said, in a signed article, that such promotion is a must to strengthen local leaderships and ensure the equality of men and women.

Equal rights for the sexes is a national policy in China, where women account for 42.5 percent of civil servants in all levels of government.

The article said the majority of local authorities have met the requirements of promoting women officials. However, it noted that there were a few who failed to do so and there were not enough women in senior positions.

It attributed the problems to the lack of long-term and strategic vision among some officials, hesitancy to give full play to female officials' views and the shortage of outstanding women candidates.

"The problems deserve serious attention," it said.

CPC committees and governments at all levels should take concrete measures to meet the requirements of women in leadership roles, the newspaper said.

It is required that CPC committees, governments, people's congresses and political consultative conferences at municipal level each must have at least one woman in the leadership.

The leadership of CPC committees and governments at county level should include at least one female member.

The number of female officials in leadership roles among city and county-level authorities must be increased after the local elections. The number of women holding chief positions shall also be increased.

The article also emphasized training and cultivation of grassroots female cadres.

Source: Xinhua